


homesickness

by idontknowhowtoread (heatherpotts)



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: Crying, Drowning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone is Dead, Gen, Nightmares, although i replaced him with satch.. apologies for doing you like that sir but it had to be done, hee hee new and improved! jared is no longer in this!, hidden block route i guess but also... hanamai, not very fun!, the nightmare part is very inspired by scp-2316 so. you know what that means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 15:45:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18552832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatherpotts/pseuds/idontknowhowtoread
Summary: After graduating Asagao and getting into the music school of his dreams, Luke still can't help missing Asagao. It seems something is missing, and his dreams finally rise up against him. In trying to figure out what to do, there's only one person he can go to.





	homesickness

**Author's Note:**

> my 3rd luke angst of the day... wow
> 
> and this ones hella long, I love him I swear;;

Luke's head breaks the surface with a gasp, coughing as he breathes in lake air dense with water and mist. His arms and legs move almost frantically to keep himself afloat as he scans his surroundings, the heavy air now filling his lungs nowhere near enough to keep him buoyant on their own. Or maybe he's just panicking. That seems just as likely, as there’s no sign of land anywhere.

  
  
Maybe it's shrouded in mist, or maybe it isn't there at all. His dreams have never been necessarily logical, he has no idea how he started underwater for one, but that contemplation is ousted from his mind by the relentless monologue that screams _I'm going to drown I'm going to die swim please I'm going to drown I'm going to die please just do something-_

  
  
Swimming was usually, _used to be_ an unconscious thing for Luke, and he has no idea why it isn't here. Is it the panic again? Probably. His limbs feel like lead, the air in his lungs is heavy, and the water despite its stillness feels like it's trying, _no,_ _going to_ drag him down. His strokes are panicked, probably inefficient, and it feels like a miracle when he's finally able to anchor himself onto a stranded dock, desperately clinging to the side. One that didn't seem to be there before, but he doesn't have time to think about that now.

  
  
He rests there and catches his breath for a moment, until he actually finds the strength to pull himself up onto the dock. The wood creaks under his weight, but Luke doesn't have time to worry about that, or wonder how such a dock could be constructed so far from any sign of land. He falls onto his back, one hand over his stomach, the other next to his head, and stares up at the sky.

****

Can you even call it that, _the sky?_ His… _surroundings_ are completely grey, _no sun or stars or anything._ He can feel his stomach moving as he breathes, those deep belly breaths _who was it… oh_ , his choir teacher taught him when he was a kid. It's supposed to help him sing better, supposed to help calm him down, but here it does nothing to help the fact that he feels like he's suffocating. Laying down like this probably isn't helping, as he must be breathing nothing but mist, pooling around him on the dock, sinking into his lungs and flooding his airways, _wait, no-_

****

He sits up, gasping and coughing as if he'd been underwater again. He gets on his knees and steadies himself with his hands as he coughs through the thick, smoke-like mist now falling from his mouth. With his head bowed, staring at the old, waterlogged wooden boards, a chill runs through him. If this dock breaks, he'll drown, no question about it. _Hell_ , he probably wouldn't even try to swim, if there's nowhere to go and he's bound to suffocate in open air anyway. He doesn't know which death scares him more, but there's no point in asking that question now.

****

On the bright side, either this position is actually helping him breathe somewhat, or he's about to pass out. He doesn't know which option he prefers, either. But, the potential increase in oxygen is a welcome change, and he finally finds the strength to lift his head slightly.

****

_And…_

****

…

****

…

****

There's a body in the water.

****

For once, the mist makes no attempt at hiding it. It's a bit far out, but not far enough to make it unrecognizable, and _no, stop calling her “it.”_ And again, Luke feels like he's suffocating.

****

She's out there, _Hana. Her, herself._ The first time he's seen her in… _God, how long? Too long_. And somehow, she's here. Floating on her back, motionless. Her hair fans out around her, some of it in her face. Her Hidden Block jacket is waterlogged, the yellow muted by the water, but her hair is even brighter than before, an almost neon pink that kind of hurts Luke's eyes. Or is that because he's crying? Could be both.

****

It doesn't really matter, he can't breathe through both his tears and the mist, especially if he can't take his eyes off her. _Why am I even crying? It's not like she's really…_

****

_“Luke...”_

****

A voice, _her voice_ calls out, but not from her mouth. From somewhere behind him, or maybe surrounding him, whispers weighing on his chest even heavier than the mist.

****

He can't look at her, but he can't _not_ look at her. He still can't fully sit up, hands planted firmly on the dock trembling, and he watches as his tears drip from his eyes, run down his cheeks and splatter onto the wood. He can't move, can't breathe, he feels like he's going to pass out again unless-

****

_“Luke?”_

****

_“Oh my God, he came back…”_

****

_“It's okay.”_

****

_“You came back-”_

****

_“We missed you.”_

****

_“Come 'ere.”_

The whispers come from nowhere, but still find a way to settle deep in his chest, choking him. Another sob, and another, and his vision gets darker at the edges, stars dancing in front of his eyes, almost mockingly. He coughs again, some liquid spilling onto the dock, but he can't focus enough to see if it's blood or water or simply something _black._ The worse his vision gets, the more his hands tremble, the more his lungs ache for _just one_ good breath, the more he understands his fate.

****

He's going to die, either way. Maybe he'll pass out and suffocate, maybe he'll fall off the dock and drown. Maybe it'll break. Maybe he'll jump.

****

_“What's he doing?”_

****

_“Look at me, Luke. Us.”_

****

_“Aren't you cold up there?”_

****

_“Swim with us, Luke.”_

****

_“It's been so long…”_

****

Another sob, but Luke forces himself to look up. Through blurry vision and breathless agony, he sits back on his knees and looks around.

****

Not a good idea, he quickly realizes.

****

There's more of them, now. The _bodies._ Floating, motionless, not speaking but still heard. Yellow and green jackets, prim white button ups and ties, puffed up by the water. The colors are darkened, blending in with the encompassing grey, yet so noticable, so _bright_ that it feels like Luke's been punched in the stomach. That liquid from before, was that vomit? He still can't tell. He can't look at anything but _them._

****

_“You gonna come in, or what?”_

****

That's _Satch_ _'s_ voice. Luke frantically searches his surroundings and finds him somewhere to his right. On his back, staring up at the sky, nothing out of the ordinary.

****

_No, this isn't ordinary_.

****

His mouth doesn't move with the words. None of them move. He doesn't move, doesn't breathe, only whispers and floats and _tears Luke apart._ He looks  _wrong._ Sickly, even, none of the charismatic wit or liveliness that usually accompanied his every movement. He supposes that makes sense,  _he isn't alive._

****

_“Yeah, it's been forever, come on!”_

****

Shrill, childish excitement, immediately recognizable as PBG. Luke doesn't have the energy to whip around like he did for Satch, but finds his body to his left. He's closest to the dock out of all of them, making it easier to see just how _pale and cold and still_ he is. Luke could easily swim out to him, if he had the energy. His hair covers his eyes completely, lips parted slightly, water creeping up his neck and over his face like it planned to claim him again.

****

_“You know you want to.”_

****

PBG's right, but Luke has no idea what he would do, other than drown. Pull him out, onto the dock, see what the water has done to him up close, but for what? He's gone, _they're_ gone, and at this point it's a question of if he wants to go down with them. _Is it?_

****

_“It's prettier at the bottom, you know.”_

****

_“Yeah, kinda reminds me of you.”_

****

_“Aw, really Moosey?”_

****

_“No, not you. Him. Luke. Dumbass.”_

****

_“What- Oh, alright, I see how it is.”_

 

Caddy and Ian, it has to be. Ian is next to Hana, and Caddy must be somewhere behind him. He can't look, he can't _not_ look.

****

_“Pretty, but it gets a little lonely...”_

****

_“Uh- Mai, I'm right here…”_

****

_“You- Hana, you know what I meant!”_

****

Luke doesn't remember moving, but he's right at the edge of the dock now. Every part of himself but one is screaming at him, _don't do this, you're going to fall, kicking and screaming and gasping for air, please I need air please just breathe please I can’t breathe-_

****

But that one, somewhat detached part of his mind has accepted that already. He's going to die either way, _right?_ He’s already at the edge, and the longer he stares into the water, the more he wants to give in. _Caddy was right._ There's plants at the bottom, kelp and whatever else those plants are called, vibrant green, and _are those flowers? No, is it coral? Why would there be coral? Maybe..._

****

He clutches the edge, fighting against the subconscious urge to lean forward. _Don't do this._

****

He's crying again, he's only just now noticing. He's going to pass out, going to fall, going to drown, and… _he knows._  His tears fall into the water, making tiny ripples, not unlike those made by the corpses bobbing nearby. The longer he stares, the longer he goes without oxygen and the closer he gets to passing out, the brighter the underwater colors become. A rainbow, now, shifting and shimmering and coaxing him to come in. The whispers grow into screams, pleads, masked as nonchalant persuasions.

****

_“What are you waiting for?”_

****

_“Water's fine, Luke.”_

****

_“Come in already.”_

****

_“Let go.”_

****

_“Don't you miss us?”_

****

_“We missed you.”_

****

_“Isn't that a song? Something like… ‘Come into the water, do you wanna be my baby? Are you waiting to touch me, you look so good. but I keep my hands ‘til…’”_

****

_“Just let go already.”_

****

_“Don't you remember?”_

****

Luke closes his eyes.

****

…

****

…

****

…

****

He thought he would wake up from the water's impact, _but… no._ It hits like he had fallen from much higher up, air escaping his lungs regardless of how hard he fights to hold his breath. His eyes are forced closed, he can't move, and he has no choice but to take it all in. The water moves around him like ocean waves, utterly unlike lake water should. Or maybe it's _something_ swimming next to him, but neither option is all that comforting. And yet, something about it… _is._

****

The whispers stop, for one. _They've already won._ He's already felt more pain than he should be able to in a dream like this, and the water seems to have mercy. Despite the cold and his aching chest (to be fair, his chest was aching before, and it was just as cold…), the feeling of being held, caressed, _enveloped_ was always one Luke appreciated.

****

He isn't exactly in the right mindset to be thinking back to his childhood, his feelings towards something as vague and complex yet so simple as _water._ And yet, another stream of bubbles escapes his mouth, _it'll be over soon,_ and he almost smiles.

****

The presence increases, not just water, but _arms_ wrap around his waist. His forearms, his wrists, his ankles, hands trace his jaw and his collarbones, every line and curve of his body. Held, but held down. Caressed, yet so cold.

****

He opens his eyes. The water is murky and stings his eyes, but it's _them_ again.

****

Up close, every minuscule detail of their decay made much too clear. Hana, somehow just as bright and spotlighted as she was in life. PBG, green eyes and his jacket now smothered in blue. Jeff, the shadow of a smile still gracing a frozen face. Shane, like he had looked death in the face and been unimpressed, had welcomed, _no,_ _dared_ its arrival. Ian, Jimmy, Mai, Satch, _no, there's too many_. Luke would have cried if he could.

****

Instead, he chokes.

****

The pressure, the _hands_ tighten, water pulsing and vibrating around him oddly similar to _laughter._ He screams, not even bubbles at this point, just water and deafening silence. He convulses, survival instinct kicking in and making a last ditch attempt at swimming, but he's already accepted his fate. Ice slips down his throat, fills his lungs, _God please no,_ and he can't tell if his eyes are closing or if his vision is finally being consumed with black.

****

No time, no room to pray or beg, no room to berate himself for giving in so easily. _No air._

****

No more pain, an eternal slumber. No room to question why he hasn't woken up yet. No room to question why he welcomes emptiness, numbness, the void like bottom of the lake so openly. _Caddy lied,_ a thought Luke might have had if he was still thinking, still conscious, still alive.

****

No room for that, but plenty of room for his body to sink, to move with the impossible tides and hands guiding him, to float back up to the surface.

****

Finally, breaking the surface again is the sensation that brings him back to reality. He doesn't scream or bolt upright, simply opens his eyes and gasps softly. He finds his hands gripping the sheets for dear life, hard enough to hurt, so he lets go and places them on his stomach.

****

Breathing, again. That's always what it comes back to. Closing his eyes, exhaling and inhaling again, deep belly breaths that are supposed to, _used to_ help him calm down. The only sounds are his breathing and his heartbeat, still racing and pounding in his ears, refusing to be calmed. Even the dorms are silent, an occurrence so rare it's thought mystical, one Luke doubted he'd ever catch. It feels wrong.

****

He glances over at the window, early morning sunlight peeking through the blinds. He can't quite move enough to fumble for his phone, but he'd guess it's around 6 AM? Maybe closer to 6:30. When all the night owls finally fall asleep, praying for a couple hours of sleep before classes start. That's one thing he loved earlier in the semester, that most classes don't start until noon at the earliest, that his utterly messed up sleep schedule didn't affect his ability to get to class like it had at Asagao.

****

Now, he kind of misses it. He misses Ian shaking him awake, blinding him by opening the windows or shining his phone's flashlight in his eyes. He misses hurriedly getting ready, throwing on his jacket and his hat and absolutely _booking it_ to class. The same hat, several, actually, now buried in his closet, the same jacket thrown to the floor sometime last night. He feels he should at least fold it, he wears it most days with pride, but sometimes looking at it, or even just knowing it's here _hurts_ deep down in his soul, something he can't quite explain.

****

His hands tremble, his stomach practically jolting as his breathing stutters, inhales becoming more like stumbling gasps. That same deep, inexplicable sorrow strikes again as the feeling gathers behind his eyes, tears not yet spilling but threatening to.

****

He misses having a roommate. He misses not having to talk about his feelings through a screen. He misses breakfast at Asagao. The meals aren't quite as good here, but it's much more to do with that they're missing something crucial: his friends.

****

He has friends here, but he's never shied away from admitting to himself that they'll never beat Asagao. There's a couple people with pink hair, artist types and all, but none quite like Hana. Nobody will ever top PBG in that his very existence, his every day behavior is so strange and hilarious and _fascinating._ He'll never have another group of friends like Hidden Block.

****

A sniffle, a sob, and a hand moves from his stomach to cover his mouth. Tears start spilling from his eyes, but without a clear path of where to go, curving over his cheeks and falling to the side. He squeezes his eyes shut, turning onto his side facing the wall, and desperately tries to _shut up._

****

He knows all too well he's the only one making noise in the entire dorm right now, all he wants is to stop. He never wanted this, he never wanted to feel like this. This place is honestly great, the teachers are great and he's already learned so much, even his peers who he mostly neglects are kind and supportive. He was supposed to move on, have a great new experience but still keep in touch, but all he can do is feel homesick. Homesick to the point of crying, alone at an ungodly hour in the morning, too scared of making too much noise and waking anyone else up to truly let it all out.

****

It's painful to remember just how much like home Asagao was to him.

****

There's reassurance in that surely, he'll see them all again someday, they're only a drive away, maybe a couple hours at the most. They keep in touch, the Hidden Block Havoc server is more active than any others he's in, but there's still so much pain in that he'll never get back what they had at Asagao. He should have seen it coming the year they started losing people, when Jeff and Satch graduated, that their era was coming to a close, and he needed to get ready to move on.

****

He never did. He never _can._ He never got over his feelings for Hana, half meant to be a joke or some kind of test, and it feels pathetic to admit, but he _still_ writes songs about her. He never got used to not having those secret past-curfew D&D meetings, or not having the looming threat of the tournament taking priority over most of his schoolwork. He still has Hidden Block, sure, but he'll never get used to not having them _here._

****

His phone vibrates loudly against his bedside table, finally gathering the energy to fumble for it, desperate for a distraction.

****

6:24 AM. _He was close._

****

Havoc - 6:23 AM

_Hidden Block #general_

_cotton candy princess_ idk if anyone is awake but mai just woke me up by literally pushing me off the bed in her sleep. long live the king head ass

****

Luke smiles weakly, his face somewhat stiff with dried tears. He lazily thumbs in his passcode, and waits for the app to load.

****

_yung man - Today at 6:24 AM_

Language

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:24 AM_

im dyin luke

****

Luke fleetingly thinks, _Mai is so lucky._

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:25 AM_

what r u doing up so early anyway go back to bed

****

_yung man - Today at 6:25 AM_

No u

****

_yung man - Today at 6:25 AM_

But I had a nightmare :(

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:25 AM_

oh no!! D:

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:26 AM_

what happened?

****

Even through a screen, she's still adorable. Luke wishes she wasn't, and wonders if it's her he misses the most. He wishes he would stop crying, it's making it hard to see the screen.

****

_yung man - Today at 6:27 AM_

It was weird I was stranded on a dock in the midlde of this lake or something and like everyone from asagao trying to drown me

****

_mootalbruce - Today at 6:27 AM_

did we?

****

Of course, Ian's here too now.

****

_yung man - Today at 6:27 AM_

Yeah

****

_mootalbruce - Today at 6:27 AM_

hell yeah i never lose

****

Shockingly, yet unsurprisingly, that actually makes him laugh, which only makes everything hurt more.

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:27 AM_

ian no!!!!!

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:28 AM_

for real are you okay

****

_Oh Hana,_ always asking questions she doesn't want to know the answer to. Questions she _already knows_ the answer to.

****

_yung man - Today at 6:28 AM_

Yeah I'm fine

****

The tears still filling his eyes to this very moment prove that statement to be a lie.

****

And the lie doesn't sit well with him, moving to Hana's DMs.

****

_yung man - Today at 6:28 AM_

Can I call you?

****

Luke immediately regrets the message, holding his phone against his chest. _Luke, what are you thinking? It’s six in the freaking morning, and you’re only gonna make her worry-_

****

His phone vibrating interrupts his thoughts.

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:29 AM_

of course

****

_cotton candy princess - Today at 6:29 AM_

give me a moment to find somewhere quiet

****

Luke shouldn’t have expected anything different, _it’s Hana,_ but the sudden sense of panic and excitement strikes like lightning, and he bolts out of bed. He knows he can’t stay here, the walls are too thin, and he's already pushing his luck crying at this hour. _The bathroom,_ he decides, _will be safer._

****

After hastily putting on the same shirt from yesterday, sweatpants, and his Hidden Block jacket, he makes his way there, as quickly but as quietly as possible. Once he makes it there, he checks all of the stalls, then the showers. _No one. Good._

****

His phone vibrates in his hand, long pulses like a ticking time bomb, and he takes one last glance at himself in the mirror before picking up.

****

_Tired._ That’s the only thing Luke could think while staring at himself, with deep, dark circles and lumbering like gravity was out to get him. He makes one last attempt at scrubbing away his tears, in vain. All he can think about is just how _tired_ he looks, something deeper than the fact that it was six in the morning, something _wrong_. He takes a deep breath, and turns around, leaning onto the sink as he picks up. ****  
** **

 

“Hey, Hana.”

****

Luke hadn’t meant for that to come out like it did, barely above a whisper, weak and trembling, a broken mask. He flinches as soon as the words come out, chewing his bottom lip.

****

“Hey,” Hana replies, just as quiet. “You okay?”

****

Simply the way Hana asked that, how she said it and _meant it_ causes tears to return to Luke’s eyes, audibly sniffling.

****

“I… I don’t know, I’m doing my best…” Luke trails off, both parties unsatisfied by his response. He finds himself clutching the rim of the sink, incapable of caring if it broke. “… But no.”

****

Another couple seconds of silence from Hana, as if she's planning her next move.

****

“… Is it because of the nightmare?”

****

“I- I think, partially…”

****

“You wanna tell me about it?”

****

Luke sniffles again, nodding, forgetting Hana couldn’t see him.

****

“Uh- y-yeah…”

****

He takes another deep breath, trying desperately to compose himself, without much hope in the first place. Hana is silent on the other end, only white noise from what must have been the heaters or the vents.

****

“Okay, so… Like I said, I was on this dock in the middle of nowhere, and…”

****

“A lake, right?”

****

“Yeah.”

****

“What was it like?”

****

“It was, just… _everything_ was grey. And misty, and… It was really hard to breathe.”

****

Luke hears Hana sigh, seemingly thinking hard.

****

“And… where did everyone else come in?”

****

“It… y-yeah. You were there…” Luke chuckles, weak and entirely without humor. “It was- Everyone was just… bodies. Just… floating there, dead.”

****

His voice grows unintentionally sharp on the word _dead_ , an unshakeable sense of guilt bubbling up just from mentioning it to Hana, the implication suffocating. She hums through the phone.

****

“So how did w- they, like, try to kill you?”

****

“That was… also weird. Like, you weren’t talking, but I could still hear you _whispering,_ if that makes sense?”

****

Hana hums again, although her tone was sadder, almost distressed in a way Luke couldn’t fully comprehend. She didn’t say anything else, so Luke could only continue.

****

“And… y’know, not a super fun experience, seeing all of your friends dead and trying to lure you in too, so I just… broke down. I don’t know. And then I fell in.”

****

“... _All_ of your friends? What about that one kid you mentioned you met a while ago? Name’s Garrett, right?”

****

“I- Well… They’re not...” Luke stumbles over his words, just now realizing what that implied. “No. It was only people from Asagao.”

****

Hana hums, her tone implying she already knew that, that she's already putting it all together.

****

“And what happened after you fell in?”

****

“… I thought I was gonna wake up when I hit the water, but I didn’t. So I was just there, drowning, for so long, and everyone was just… holding me down and staring at me. And even after I like, drowned, I was just stuck there. Until I floated back up, and that’s when I woke up.”

****

Hana is silent for another agonizing moment, processing everything Luke had said.

****

“So. What do you think it all means?”

****

Luke gets the feeling that this is a redundant question, a test.

****

“I don’t know, that I’m sad and lonely?”

****

“You’re not lonely. You have friends at Myuzu, don’t you?”

****

“They’re not the same,” Luke curtly replies, his heart speaking freely, even though he knows it's wrong. “I just… I miss you. And all of Hidden Block. All of Asagao. All of the frantic mornings and the rivalries, and goofing off in Shizuka’s class, and practicing and playing games. It’s just…” Luke lost his train of thought, the words catching in his throat, nearly choking on them.

****

“I know,” Hana assures. “I miss it too. And it isn’t _over,_ we’re always a text away, you know that. But you can’t… hold everything to the same standard, y’know?”

****

“I know,” Luke lies. “But I just… miss it all, so much. And I don’t know how to move on.”

****

Every moment Hana takes to think, leaving Luke alone in silence, hurts more than the last.

****

“So, like… homesickness?”

****

Luke already knew that, but the fact that Hana knows too, and _understands_ so easily makes him choke up again, viciously fighting back tears.

****

“... Yeah. Just like that. Asagao-sickness.”

****

Another moment of silence, and Luke squeezes his eyes shut, clutching the rim of the sink even harder than before. He can't help wondering what Hana's thinking. _That I’m being an idiot, and childish, and pathetic, and she hates me-_

****

“I know it’s hard to move on. And we’re not going anywhere, of course, but you can’t ask for another Hidden Block. They’re not. You just gotta give them a chance.”

****

Basic knowledge that Luke should have already known.

****

“You remember when I first wanted to join Hidden Block, and nobody really knew how to handle it? You were the one who wanted to give me a chance, see how I could help or affect the club, make it a welcome change. Above anyone else, you gave me that chance.”

****

Luke would never forget it, that heated discussion Ian brought to the clubroom, if they should let Hana join. He didn’t remember much of the argument itself, other than how angry he was at the others for treating her the way they did, how badly he wanted their six to turn into seven without really understanding why. He could never forget the smile on Hana’s face on her first day, the grateful, giddy sparkle in her eyes, how seeing her in her own Hidden Block jacket filled him with an inexplicable sense of pride.

****

“So I just gotta ask you to give the others at Myuzu that same chance. For your own sake."

****

Luke is too busy forcing back tears to really respond.

****

“I’m not asking you to forget us, obviously, and I _will_ beat you up if you do-”

****

Hana trying to fight him has always been an adorable image, weakly punching him in the side and threatening to break his ankles. Her attacks were always light, even light enough to pretend they're really here, now.

****

“But just, talk to them, y’know? For me.”

****

Luke has never been able to say no to her.

****

“... Okay. I promise.”

****

Luke can practically hear her smiling through the phone, giggling quietly.

****

“Good. I believe in you, you’re gonna do great!”

****

“Yeah…” Luke trails off, chuckling slightly.

****

“Yeah- Oh, sh- frick, I gotta go. Class starts soon.”

****

“You got 6AM classes?”

****

“Well, 7:30-”

****

“Geez. Get your education…”

****

“I will,” Hana says, clearly moving now, the turbulence making it harder to make out her words. “So, try to get some rest before classes start, maybe? I believe in you, good luck!”

****

“Thanks, Hana.”

****

“Okay. See you soon?”

****

Luke isn’t sure if that is really true.

****

“See you soon.”

****

“Bye!”

****

“Bye,” Luke sighs, and Hana was gone.

****

He turns around, facing himself in the mirror. Could Hana hear just how tired he was through the phone? _Probably._ She was right, he probably should go back to bed for a while, but he couldn’t help remembering his promise. That he would give the others at Myuzu a chance, that he would get better, that he would be okay.

****

He meets his own gaze, eyes tired and desperate, and makes another promise to himself.

****

That he wouldn’t let her down.


End file.
